All the latest research on psychology, psychiatry and mental health summarised in plain English.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Community arts projects help mental health

Community arts projects can increase people's sense of psychological well-being and help reduce levels of anxiety and depression. Dr Asiya Siddiquee from Manchester Metropolitan University studied six projects based in the North-West of England which involved a diverse range of activities such as creative writing, photography and dance. She studied 96 people who had taken part in the projects and found they had had a significant increase in their mental health with less anxiety and depression. The participants felt more in control of their lives, more independent and had a greater sense of purpose.